Monster
by LyndseyRyder12
Summary: They each have their own monsters eating away at them.
1. Murasakibara

_title:_ **Monster  
**_word count: 674  
warning: uh, major character-stretching (idk, is that a thing? like, just kinda OOC i guess...) and slight language.  
disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket or its characters or the song lyrics at the beginning (the italic stuff).  
A/N: inspired by the many (read: six) songs on my iPod titled "Monster". I assigned one song to each gom member and wrote a little "drabble" on it. Y'know, instead of working on school (yuck). N-E-way, enjoy._

_Murasakibara Atsushi - "Monster" by Ghost Town_

* * *

_Murasakibara_

_Got a mindset that nobody knows; now this evil is taking control. And where's our freedom now? In a place we never wanted to be…  
You're a **monster**._

He doesn't know how it starts. Maybe it's just his personality.

He generally doesn't like people. People are annoying, with the different ways that they talk and act and even walk. He especially hates excitable people—like Kise-chin; _why won't he shut up?_ He doesn't like people who take pride in what they do, or who try to push their opinions on him—like Mine-chin and Kuro-chin; _stop talking_. People who act like they're perfect or are too controlling also get on his nerves—like Mido-chin and Aka-chin; _leave me alone_.

He doesn't like any of them, really. But he pretends to be civil and only gets in fights when they ask for it. He's surprised Kuro-chin dares to butt heads with him more often than anyone else—always defending his love of basketball. It makes him sick.

Basketball isn't something to be loved; it's something to do if you're good—and Kuro-chin is not good. As such, Kuro-chin should stop preaching. Honestly, it's annoying. He is better than Kuro-chin, and he hates basketball. So obviously loving the sport doesn't _matter_.

To prove his point, he's made it a personal goal to completely crush all of them—utterly and entirely. They're practically begging for it anyway, what with Mine-chin's, _"The only one who can beat me is me."_ and Mido-chin's perfect shots. He likes to see Kise-chin cry and Aka-chin needs to be put down. Then Kuro-chin will learn.

Mine-chin is sick one day, and he offers to play one-on-one with Kise-chin instead. The other is surprised (shocked, even), but accepts nonetheless. When he inevitably beats Kise-chin, he's disappointed with the blond's reaction. _"Once more! I have to beat you if I want to beat Aominecchi!"_ How insulting. He refuses and leaves.

Mido-chin refuses any one-on-ones. He's too busy perfecting his shots.

Mine-chin gives a weird excuse and leaves when he asks.

And then there's Aka-chin. Ah, that had been fun. _See what loving something a little too much can do?_ He's to blame for twisting Aka-chin unrecognizably; he's the one who shook the captain to the very core with the prospect of losing. Kuro-chin actually looks unsure. _He's_ the one who turned Aka-chin into a monster.

And he couldn't be any more proud of himself.

Everything is fine for a while. Yosen's okay. He meets Muro-chin and they become close—or, at least, as close as he's willing to get to someone who loves basketball so much. His other teammates are… alright.

They're an unstoppable force—the Shield of Aegis. Their defense is impenetrable.

Or rather, they thought it was.

Somehow the unorthodox styles of the Seirin team had managed to beat them—_Kuro-chin_ had beaten him.

It stings. He's honestly shocked. He doesn't know what to do with himself—he's never lost before. But there Kuro-chin is, sharing high fives with his other stupid teammates. And there's Kiyoshi even, grinning like he's won the lottery, or maybe it's more like a father's smile when he son comes back from a lengthy, deadly war…

Whatever. He certainly doesn't care. It's not like… like he _liked_ basketball anyway. Wasn't he just about ready to throw the towel in moments ago?

So why is he crying?

Belatedly, he realizes that yes, basketball held a large place in his heart. And he didn't hate it; he… kinda liked it. Okay, more than kinda (not that he's going to admit it out loud after all the shit he's said). And now, as he walks out of the stadium, he realizes what he's done.

He _ruined_ Aka-chin. And he can't take that back.

Muro-chin is talking softly to him, saying meaningless things that he clings to. Muro-chin doesn't ridicule him for continuing to cry, doesn't roll his eyes for being such a baby. Instead he just does his best to comfort him. It's more than a **monster** like him deserves.

* * *

_A/N: Mm, this was the one I liked the least so far, so of course I'm gonna post it first. -.-" Murasakibara and I have issues. The song doesn't even fit that well... *sigh*  
Yeah, so here was this. I hope you enjoyed...? I'll be posting the next one soon.  
Please tell me what you think!_


	2. Midorima

_title: _**Monster  
**_word count: 655  
warning: kinda-really OOC  
disclaimer: don't own  
A/N: I actually really liked how this one turned out. Midorima is one of the few characters I make excuses for, ahaha. I struggle writing him, but his POV is always one I fall back to. He's a cutie._

_Midorima Shintarou - "Monster" by Imagine Dragons_

* * *

_Midorima_

_I'm only a man with a candle to guide me. I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me. A __**monster**__, a __**monster**__, I've turned into a __**monster**__.  
A __**monster**__, a __**monster**__, and it keeps getting stronger._

It's all Akashi's fault, he'll tell people. He won't let on about how the others had also warped and twisted him.

None of them acknowledged him. He didn't want much, just a, _"Nice shot!"_ every once in a while would have sufficed. But no, he only received sneers and _that will do's_ after his fantastic, no, _flawless_ plays.

He was too good for them. He deserved more.

So he practiced more. He practiced until his fingertips bled. One or two of Teikou's basketballs were stained unsightly with his blood (though he lied when questioned about it). No one knew—probably not even Akashi (he still doesn't quite grasp the extent of the red haired tyrant's knowledge). And still, no one cares when his shooting accuracy bumps up from ninety percent to one-hundred. He can't feel the tips of his fingers any longer, and it's all in vain. He's not the only one growing. They're all too preoccupied with themselves to notice him falling into this pit of hate—hate for them, hate for the color red.

He doesn't stop when his fingers begin to bleed anymore. If anything, the crimson bubbling out of his worn skin pushes him to concentrate harder. The red just mocks him—reminds him of how utterly _indifferent_ Akashi is. He _hates_ Akashi, hates him, hates him, _hates_ him. The redhead makes him sick. He doesn't deserve to be treated like this by anyone, let alone their apparent captain. He can't say he's ever seriously considered Akashi to be above him like that.

Akashi's approval had been the thing he had strove for, his pushing factor. Now he just wants to teach Akashi true defeat, despair. He wants the self-proclaimed "emperor" to know how he made him feel—how the redhead had completely warped him. He dreams about it, but even in his dreams he falls short.

He can't _stand_ it.

And then he finds himself at Shutoku, and there's Takao.

Takao, who hangs on him and compliments his plays. Takao, who brags about him to their opponents. Takao, who tells him, _"Nice shot, Shin-chan!"_

Shutoku lets him release a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, lets him uncoil tensed muscles, lets him feel like he's part of a team, but most of all makes him feel _appreciated_.

Red leaves his mind, allowing him to relax.

But then Winter Cup rolls around and red returns.

He just wants to teach Akashi his place, let him experience everything he's put him through. _"You're not good enough." "You'll never defeat me like that." "Are you even trying?"_ But fate is not kind to him. And all the hate that had slithered to the back of his mind hits him again, but this time it isn't hate for red. No, now he can't stand the color green.

Self-loathing consumes him, and he realizes that's what it's been all along. He hadn't wanted to destroy red, he had hated green. _Green, green, green._ It's an ugly color, representing _jealousy_ and _greed_. Was it any wonder he had been doomed from the very beginning?

Takao tries to comfort him, but it's a lost cause. He is lost in the hate that had built up for over three years. He doesn't know what to do with himself. So he does what he had always done whenever he'd wanted to stop thinking.

He practices.

"_He's so diligent."_

"_What a freak. Doesn't he have anything else to do?"_

"_Do you think we should make him stop before he ruins the equipment? His fingers…"_

Their words don't reach his ears. The **monster** in his head talks over their noise. He is oblivious to anything besides his shots. _His perfect, flawless shots…_

* * *

_A/N: And now I feel bad. :c  
I really like writing in this style; it's new.. Sure, pretty much every sentence starts with "he", but what can you do? Aha...  
Now I want a happy ending...  
Anyone want to take a guess on who's next?  
_


	3. Aomine

_title: _**Monster****  
**_word count: 1,001__  
__warning: kinda-sorta OOC__  
__disclaimer: don't own__  
__A/N: Alright! On to Aomine! This was the first one I wrote, and it originally wasn't this long. It had been around 600 words like the rest, but then today happened. But I think it does well enough...? Aomine was a bit more constrained, for me anyway, considering I think he's the only one we see outside of the Winter Cup after he lost against Seirin. I have not read the manga either, so that assumption could be wrong, sorry. Nonetheless! I did it!_

_Aomine Daiki - "Monster" by Skillet_

* * *

_Aomine_

_I feel it deep within; it's just beneath the skin. I must confess that I feel like a __**monster**__.  
I hate what I've become. The darkness has just begun. I must confess that I feel like a __**monster**__._

It claws at his insides, pounds in his skull, begs to be let out. He doesn't know exactly what it is; he doesn't want to know. Most of the time it just lingers in the back of his mind, but the times it takes over are overwhelming. It's feral and ugly, wild and uncontrollable. He used to let it run free, take over whenever it wanted. He had been so naïve.

It used to be an asset, the only way a kid like him could beat practiced adults on the street courts. But then it changed—evolved. It wanted more than just victory. It wanted utter domination. He hadn't understood at the time, but he let it do what it wanted. After all, it made him the best.

There was one time it had come out when he wasn't playing basketball, and that had been the last time he had voluntarily let it take over so easily. He doesn't really remember the details; everything is hazy when it comes to the other side of him. He just remembers arguing with Satsuki, and then suddenly she was on the ground, looking up at him fearfully—but more than that, she was _bleeding_. _Because of you._ After that he'd tried his hardest to bury this thing inside him.

He doesn't know what to call it. It's more than just a feeling; it's like a whole other being inside of him—one that isn't quite human. It's unstoppable; its only goal is to utterly demolish anything that gets in its way.

It scares him.

Sometimes, when he looks in the mirror and catches his own reflection, he sees it. Lurking behind his eyes, taunting him. _You can't hide me away forever._ He's afraid. What will happen if he keeps this thing locked inside too long? Will he hurt someone else?

He doesn't want that to happen. He doesn't want to see anyone else cry because of him. So he's always cautious. He's more careful than anyone would give him credit for, which is how it needs to be. No one can know. Even Satsuki, who had seen this dark side of him already (she never mentions it; he hopes she has forgotten).

And it's fine, because he has Tetsu. Tetsu keeps him in line and Tetsu provides the support needed to keep the thing hidden deep inside.

But then something—or rather some_one_—happens during his second year of middle school, and the whole balance is upset.

_Kise Ryouta._

The beast inside him is intrigued by the blond model—_the golden boy._ It wants the other in so many different ways—he doesn't understand at all. It's amazing what just a simple look from the blond would do to him. It plays nice at first, making him that much more wary of its intentions. But then Kise starts getting good, and that's when its true nature rears its ugly head.

It wants to utterly _decimate_ Kise; it wants nothing left of the blond, nothing to salvage. It _yearns_ to toy with Kise, to give him false hope that _yes, you can beat me if you just keep trying_, but that's not possible.

_The only one who can beat me is the thing inside me._

Tetsu can't help; Kise won't let him. _One-on-one, I wanna play you one-on-one!_ It gets so bad he can't even be near Kise anymore. So he forces them apart, severs their relationship.

"_Aominecchi! One-on-one?"_

"_Just go home. I don't feel like playing with you."_

He knows (_god, he knows_) he's only hurting Kise, and in turn he's hurting himself, but this is necessary. He is afraid of just how far the thing inside him will go, because it isn't just concerned with basketball anymore.

At the end of his Teikou years, he feels secure. No one could touch him; he was the best. Kise strayed dangerously close, but they were going to different high schools in different prefectures, so it wouldn't be a big deal. If they met up at Inter High and the Winter Cup (which they undoubtedly would), he'd be able to reign himself in because it _was just one game_.

And then stupid Bakagami showed up and everything was knocked out of balance.

Kagami, at first, looked like just another wannabe; someone who could barely manage to hold a candle to the flame someone like Kise could light in him. That game against him, though, had disgruntled the beast within him, and the game against Kise was a mess. The thing had bubbled up and spat nasty words, horrible things that kept Kise at a distance even after things were said and done.

But then came Winter Cup, and things changed. Kagami had evolved into the challenger the thing inside of him had been waiting for. He was relentless, refusing to give up. Victory was the only thing in the redhead's mind, and he wasn't afraid of any of the obstacles standing in his way. Kagami's candle had managed to grow into a raging inferno, easily consuming Kise's fire. And that was when he had discovered Kagami also had a beast inside of him. Once the thought clicked in his head, any semblance of self-control went to hell. The thing took over, and promised absolute destruction on Seirin. He wouldn't stop until all of them were left utterly despaired.

But Kagami's beast destroyed his.

Looking back, he doesn't see the thing hidden inside of his new rival as a **monster**. No, it feels more like the opposite. Kagami's beast wasn't destructive. He thinks maybe Tetsu had some sort of influence of Kagami's inner demons; he wishes he had known Tetsu sooner; he hopes Tetsu can forgive him.

He is optimistic about the future. He can face the things he'd be too cowardly to address before; he can make amends with the people he's hurt (Satsuki, Tetsu, Kise); he can once again embrace and love what he'd learned to hate.

He just hopes his **monster** really is gone.

* * *

_A/N: I really enjoy writing the characters like this, all broken and vulnerable... uh, wait.  
Like Murasakibara's (and I suppose Midorima's), I don't like the ending that much, but whatever. I'm not dealing with it anymore.__  
__I hope you enjoyed Aomine's monster, and look forward to the next monster._


End file.
